What is the Inclusive Teaching Learning Community?

Each year, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, in conjunction with the Academic Innovations Group and the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement, facilitates a learning community for a small cohort of instructors interested in developing more inclusive teaching practices. The program, in support of the Pathways to Equity Strategic Plan, offers a limited number of grants for the design, implementation, and reporting of course revisions to enhance teaching and learning for all students but especially for those who have been systemically marginalized in higher education. Each award will be worth $4,000 in pre-tax supplemental salary. 

Who is eligible to participate?

All University of Mississippi faculty, regardless of status, are eligible for these awards. Graduate students and staff who serve as instructors of record are also welcome to apply. Faculty and/or graduate students may also apply as a team of instructors who teach multiple sections of the same course.

While we welcome any UM instructor or group of instructors to apply, we are most likely to prioritize proposed course revisions likely to impact the largest number of students over the longest period of time.

How will the program work?

During the first semester of the learning community, instructors will attend four meetings with each other and with CETL staff. These meetings, which are coupled with brief preparatory readings, are designed to help instructors ground themselves in the principles of inclusive teaching and examine their chosen course in light of these principles. Instructors will also draw on their own records and the resources of IREP to gather course or institutional data that might help them understand the impact of their course on marginalized students. They will then use this data, along with the insights they gleaned from group discussions about inclusive teaching, to (re)design their chosen course (or design a substantial course intervention) prioritizing inclusion and equity. In addition to facilitating group meetings, CETL staff will also be available to consult with individual instructors on their proposed course revisions.

In the second semester of the learning community, instructors will teach the (re)designed version of their course and attend monthly meetings to discuss the progress of the course. They will also gather any qualitative or quantitative data they need to assess the effectiveness of their teaching revisions. In the final weeks of the semester, instructors will develop a plan to share what they have learned with peers in their department and submit a final reflection on their time in the program to CETL. 

What are the requirements for grant recipients?

1. Participate in monthly meetings of the inclusive teaching learning community and individual consultations as appropriate.
2. (Re)design a course or design a substantial course intervention using the principles of inclusive teaching and any course or institutional data you have collected.
3. Implement your (re)designed course or course interventions during the second semester of the learning community.
4. Discuss course progress and challenges and support learning community members as they work toward their own inclusive teaching goals.
5. Share what you have learned with your department.
6. Submit a final reflection to CETL on your time in the program and progress toward the goals articulated in your initial proposal.

How do I apply?

Apply to join the 2024 Inclusive Teaching Learning Community by filling out the form at this link. The application deadline is October 31, 2023. For further questions, please contact Emily Pitts Donahoe, Associate Director of Instructional Support, at ejdonaho@olemiss.edu.